The lights of Diwali: From candles to lanterns to full-blown fireworks

By Stina Backer and Matthew Ponsford, for CNN

Updated 1806 GMT (0206 HKT) November 1, 2013

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Rooftop celebrations – Roy del Vecchio from the Netherlands was traveling through India during Diwali. "I love India and wanted to experience the festival once in Rajasthan. This man invited me for sweets, a tradition during Diwali, and together with his sons we lit some fireworks on the rooftop," said the 39-year-old.

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Guyana's motorcade brigade – Each year Guyana's 200,000 strong Hindu population celebrate Diwali with a huge motorcade in the capital Georgetown. This photo, featuring one of the sparkling vehicles, was captured in 2009 by Guyana native Amanda Richards. She said: "Spectators line the route and wait for hours to see the parade pass by. It is now a tourist attraction and also a family outing for thousands of people."

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Reclaiming the swastika – Despite the Nazis' attempt to hijack the swastika it was, and remains, a celebrated ancient Asian symbol representing good and peace. Samarjit Mazumdar from Bangalore, India, captured this beautiful swastika made of marigold flowers at the campus the prestigious business school XLRI in Jamshedpur. "The celebration of Diwali is symbolized as the victory of good over evil, and refers to the light of higher knowledge dispelling all ignorance," said the 32-year-old.

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Before the light – During Diwali various lights and candles are lit to commemorate the legend of the return of the Hindu god Rama to his kingdom after 14 years in exile. These beautiful bronze diyas, waiting to have their cotton strip wicks lit, belong to 27-year-old Instagrammer Hrishikesh Deshmukh from Mumbai, India. He said it is a tradition to light the diyas at night: "Diwali is the festival of lights and it looks very beautiful."

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Diwali lights in Britain – This spectacular Diwali themed float illuminated the British town of North Petherton during the annual Guy Fawkes celebrations. It is part of the Bridgwater Carnival, which is one of the largest illuminated carnivals in Europe. "The carts have been limited to the total length, height and width to make sure they fit down our narrow roads. They can have up to 10,000 light bulbs on them. It is free to attend but people collect money which is then distributed among the local charities," said Keith Gough, 46, who took this photo.

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Family portrait – This Diwali family portrait features Uttharaa Unni (left), her sister Samyuktha Varma and their mother Urmila Unni. "The three of us work in Indian films as actors. Celebrations have always been a part of our day to day life and Diwali has been important to us since our childhood," said the 21-year-old Bollywood actress.

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Inner glow – Paramveer Singh took this photo of a diya at his home last year. He says the diya had been burning all night on the roof of his family home in the Punjab region of India.

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Keeping the faith – The vibrant colors of the Diwali lanterns and a rangoli was captured by avid Instagrammer Vincent Paul JR a few days ago during his lunch break at a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 27-year-old, who teaches English at the local university, was raised as a Catholic but converted to Hinduism a few years ago. "The lamps comply to the Hindu belief that light is a form of the divine. Rangoli is a symbol of welcome, Indians drew them on their doorsteps to invite all sorts good energy into their homes during special occasions. The rangoli is made out of edible colored rice which serves the purpose of feeding inferior beings such as rats, pigeons and ants as a form of good deed (Dharma) in the Hindu tradition," he said.

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Ring of fire – The young man standing in the center of this sparkling circle of light is Adarsh Charanpahari from Patna, a city in north east India. The 17-year-old amateur photographer took this photo of himself last year on the roof terrace of his home. "I used a tripod and set the camera in self timer mode. It's not difficult to create a sparkling ring, it just requires good knowledge of photography and some special tricks. People in India love to burn crackers, and this picture is made using a cracker," he said.

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Little India – This beautiful photo captures the hustle and bustle of the bazaars along Serangoon Road in Singapore. "The area is affectionately known to locals as "Little India" and it consists of stalls selling clothes, lamps, flowers, home accessories, food delicacies, anything that a believer could need for the Diwali celebrations and a fresh start to the new year," said John Liow Ye Tsun. "I'm Christian by faith so while I don't celebrate Diwali personally, a large number of my friends are Hindu and it's through their invitations that I understand this tradition, and get to experience a slice of the celebration," said the 40-year-old.

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Peaceful Diwali lights – This photo was taken during Diwali in 2011 when 17-year-old Kapil Gurnani and his brother decided to ditch the fire crackers for lanterns. "My brother said that this is a way of enjoying Diwali with lights in a more peaceful way. We were up till late in the night lighting them. The lanterns kept flying in the air for hours, it was a very beautiful sight," said the student from Silvassa, in western India.

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Kandeels of India – "These kandeels, as these paper lanterns are called in Hindi, were displayed outside a shop in Mulund, a suburb in Mumbai," said Tripthi Battapadi. "I was walking with a friend, when I noticed this display of light and colors and I paused to capture it on my phone. Usually, the lanterns are hung outside windows in the city during Diwali," added the 21-year-old graduate student.

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Canadian candles of good – This photo was taken in a makeshift tent outside of the Dixie Gurdwara temple in Mississauga Ontario, Canada. "I learned of Diwali three years ago when I met my boyfriend, Happy, whose family are Sikhs originally from the state of Punjab in India. These candles and diyas were lit and added by people of all ages celebrating Diwali. The burning of the oil and wax is to signify the triumph of good over evil," said 29-year-old Brittany Ashie from Toronto, Canada.

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Office party New Delhi style – Last year Devender Kumar and his colleagues decided to celebrate Diwali on the rooftop of their office building in Uttar Pradesh, India. "This year I will celebrate Diwali with my family and friends, starting with puja (a religious ritual), and lighting lamps all around as Diwali is festivals of lights," said the 28-year-old.

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Symbol of light – Malliqa Luthra decided to take this photo of a giant Diya symbol in her hometown of New Delhi, India. "I took it at Select Citywalk, a mall in New Delhi which was decorated beautifully for the festival season. The Diya is a symbol of light and thus prosperity during this auspicious festival of Diwal in India," said the 26-year-old.

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Story highlights

Diwali, known as the Festival of Lights, is celebrated by by Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities

The festival has spread from India to become a global celebration

CNN iReporters captured dazzling Diwali parties from Guyana to Canada

Fireworks boom, bulbs flash, and flames flicker as tens of millions of people across the globe celebrate the beginning of the Festival of Lights.

Diwali -- from the word Deepavali, meaning "row of lights" -- is observed by Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities, who celebrate for five days in autumn to mark the victory of light over darkness.

This year, the festival begins on November 3, with splashes of color, lighting displays and blaring parties set to greet Diwali's arrival.

Celebrated for centuries across much of the Indian subcontinent, Diwali is now exploding: spreading the promise of wealth, knowledge and happiness to new communities across the world.

Recent years have seen Diwali parties pop up in locations from Ontario, Canada to Melbourne, Australia, where traditional Diwali celebrations mix with showcases for Indian food, music, dance, and film.